Katherine O'Regan

Katherine Victoria O'Regan QSO (née Newton, born 24 May 1946) is a former New Zealand politician. She was a MP from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party She served as a minister for the National Government for six of those years.

O'Regan was born to farming parents at Te Mata, on the West Coast of the North Island and attended Hamilton Girls' High School. She chose a nursing career but had to leave it.

Previous to entering parliament she was the first woman to be elected in 1977 to the then Waipa County Council where she served as a county councillor for 8 years. She was involved in community organisations like the NZ Plunket Society, SPELD and Hamilton Speech Therapy Association. She was first elected to Parliament in the 1984 general election as MP for Waipa, replacing the retiring Marilyn Waring. She had served as Waring's personal assistant since 1975. She held the electorate of Waipa for twelve years until it was abolished in 1996. On her entry to parliament O'Regan sought to highlight the plight of children with specific learning disabilities by introducing a private members bill seeking recognition by the education system of children with these disabilities. It was not successful, but the bill was carried over by the Labour Party in government. It was finally discharged after 1990.

In the 1990 election Prime Minister Bolger appointed her Minister of Consumer Affairs, Associate Minister of Health, Associate Minister of Social Welfare and Associate Minister of Women's Affairs-these remained her portfolio's until the 1996 election with Minister of Youth Affairs added briefly at the end of 1996.

She became associate minister of Women's Affairs under Minister Jenny Shipley on 2 November 1990. The ministry had existed since 1984 (first held by Ann Hercus), but the associate minister's position was newly created and first held by O'Regan. She held this role until 12 December 1996, when a new (National) government was formed with NZ First Party following the first MMP 1996 general election. The associate minister role was vacant for almost a year and next held by Deborah Morris.

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